In 1971, famed astronaut Alan Shepard returned from the moon and went to get a haircut. Before settling into the barber’s chair in Webster, Texas, near NASA’s Mission Control, Shepard gave his longtime barber and friend, Carlos Villagomez, an autographed golf ball.
During his Apollo 14 moonwalk, Shepard had conducted a world-famous demonstration of gravity by hitting a golf ball in an out-of-this-world sand trap. It took him two tries.
Carlos, a Navy combat veteran and barber for numerous astronauts, says Shepard gave him the ball immediately after he returned to earth and was released from quarantine.
Had Shepard taken a third ball to the moon? And did he give it to his barber as a token of their long friendship?
The debate provides a backdrop for The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball, a story of two extraordinary men and their lasting friendship. The book offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of America’s space program at its pinnacle and shows the ordinary people who supported one of the nation’s most monumental scientific endeavors.
PRAISE FOR THE BARBER, THE
ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL:
It’s perfect!! Barbara and Ed capture Daddy and his long friendship with Carlos.
--Laura Shepard, Daughter of Alan Shepard
Brings back the glory days of the U.S. Space Program and the importance of the "little people" who made it happen. We see stern Shepard in a new and admirable light - in Shepard's high regard for the vast team of dedicated supporters who enabled astronauts to succeed. --Charlie Duke, Apollo Astronaut
HALL WAYS REVIEW: Reading THE BARBER, THE ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL feels like sitting in your parents’ or grandparents’ kitchen, listening to them tell the stories of the olden days. It’s familiar; it’s comfortable; it’s fascinating. One can practically see the authors’ grins and grimaces and hear the chuckles and chokes of tears. The stories and people are personal to them, and despite the otherworldly element, that personal element is what makes for a down-to-earth and memorable book.
From celebrity politicians, actors, and astronauts to the local heroes who lived in the NASA community, the authors’ respect for them all shines. But their level of admiration for the two main personalities of THE BARBER, THE ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL – barber Carlos Villagomez and astronaut Alan Shepard – makes the pages of the book glow.
Through extensive research and lots of interviews, Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis (who are the married co-authors of this book and co-owners of Brazos Bookstore) transport readers back through history, literally to the moon and back. But the barber, astronaut, and golf ball are only part of many stories. Readers learn about the authors’ parents, impressive in their own accomplishments, and their early ties to NASA and Space City. Again, the authors’ pride is palpable. The extensive Introduction gives the authorsa good excuse to brag on their parents (rightfully so) and readers a chance to be impressed.
“There are many brilliant, helpful and kind people who aren’t famous at all. They surround us. And we should celebrate them and recognize them for their greatness.”
Astronaut and barber are both men who served their country, but that bond was only a small part of what made Carlos and Alan friends. And really, the Alan Shepard parts, sprinkled throughout, almost take a back seat to Carlos’s experiences. At its core, THE BARBER, THE ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL is really an ode to Carlos, an extraordinary man in his own right, and the blessing he continues to be who those who cross his path.
Beyond the extensive quotes from primary sources, many given exclusively to the authors, included in the book are photographs, which really help readers connect & visualize. (No attribution or captions are under the photos, and I would have liked to have those.) And holy cow — the information included in the Acknowledgments & Sources sections are like a whole bonus book. Readers who love to know the inside skinny and fine details will relish the last third of the book.
Radnofsky and Supkis have produced a well written and heartwarming biography. Additional copy editing would make it less repetitious and better suited for a wider audience. These tweaks would take the book to the next level – from really good to really great.
THE BARBER, THE ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL is a treasure especially to the authors’, Shepard, and Villagomez families. What a gift it is to have this written record to cherish and pass down to future generations so this unique era of American history is not forgotten.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis grew up in the 1960s in the shadow of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center and married in 1982. They have three children and five grandchildren. The couple —with many other community members — are co-owners of Brazos Bookstore, an independent bookseller. As children of NASA scientists, Barbara and Ed had front-row seats to the development of the space program and the community built around it on rural cow pastures near Webster, Texas.
Barbara Radnofsky is a writer, mediator, teacher, and lawyer. She’s the author of "A Citizen’s Guide to Impeachment," a nonpartisan explanation of U.S. constitutional impeachment history and practice.
Ed Supkis, MD is a board-certified anesthesiologist specializing in cardiac anesthesia. He served as Director of Quality Assurance for the Division of Anesthesiology and as Medical Director of Respiratory Care for the Division of Surgery and Anesthesiology.
FROM THE STORIES-WORTH-WAITING-FOR PILE.Leila Meacham came into my world in February, 2019, shortly after I took ownership of Lone Star Literary Life -- and she brought so much joy to my life. Not only was she one of the most talented writers (and finished her first book at age 65!), she was one of the highest-caliber humans I've known. Our friendship over the years was precious to me, and even as her own health was failing, she would text me uplifting and optimistic messages of love and support, and her faith never wavered. She gave so much credit to LSLL for the success of Dragonfly, and I feel like she did me the favor by choosing to work with us. She first mentioned April Storm to me in September of 2020, and she was bound and determined to finish it and told me in November of that year: "You and I have continued business to do...we still have to make music together." Finish it she did, but after getting it back from her editor in June of 2021, she said, "The novel did fall victim to chemo brain fog here and there throughout, and I have been busy plugging the holes." As her cancer (she called it Henry) started winning the war she'd waged against it, and her responses to my texts were less frequent. The last I had from her was about a month before she passed in September, 2021. Her husband, Dick, knew Leila wanted this book to get published and worked hard with Leila's agent to get it revised & edited, placed with a new publisher, and it will finally be out in the world three years later. Praise be.
ABOUT THE BOOK: A seemingly perfect suburban housewife is being pursued by a private detective . . . and hunted by a murderer in this riveting, much-anticipated posthumous novel from the beloved author of Roses and Dragonfly.
Kathryn Walker enjoys an enviable life. Her husband is an accomplished doctor, her children are bright and successful, and she devotes herself to charity work that uplifts her Suburban Colorado community. Settling into a new year, her life couldn’t be better. . .
Until April.
For Kathryn, April has always rained trouble—but this time may be even stormier than the fraught past she’s trying to overcome. Already distraught over the child she miscarried in this same cursed month many years ago, the emotionally fragile woman isn’t ready to consider the overwhelming evidence that someone may be trying to take her husband—and her life.
Featuring the complex characters and powerful storytelling that are the beloved hallmarks of Leila Meacham’s novels beginning with her breakout debut Roses, April Storm is a page-turning triumph that caps a remarkable literary career.
MY BOOK REVIEW
HALL WAYS ARC REVIEW: I am thrilled that this novel, which the author was revising when she passed away in 2021, was finished and will be published posthumously. I'm grateful to her husband for seeing it through and to the publisher for giving readers a last hurrah with sweet Leila Meacham's storytelling prowess.
APRIL STORM is a good story with some unexpected turns, and I read it in one sitting. Women will likely connect with main character Kathryn in one way or another, whether it's in her years-old or newest grief, the sadness of a lost career or children leaving the nest, or the way relationships change --or stay the same -- over time.
I read an ARC provided by the publisher, and I expect the scattered typos I saw will be caught and corrected. I hope so because clean and superbly edited final books have always been a mark of Leila's books (and one that this word nerd appreciates).
Fans of Leila's prior works will feel her absence in the writing. I can't put my finger on exactly what's missing -- perhaps the emotional depth usually present in her characters? I've never read one of her books that didn't wreck me in some way and have me in tears of joy or sorrow at least once. I was not even close in APRIL STORM, though I definitely wanted to grab a character or two by the shoulders and shake them into reason.
Even so, I'd recommend it for those looking for a not-so-heavy and thoroughly entertaining thriller. And I'm okay with not being wrecked and even wonder if perhaps that was Leila's final gift to her readers.
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